Each year Girl Scouts North Carolina Coastal Pines celebrates the accomplishments of girls earning the highest award in Girl Scouting and this year was no different. Through June and July, the council held three celebrations across our 41-footprint in New Hanover, Pitt and Wake counties to recognize and honor Girl Scouts for being awarded the Girl Scout Gold Award – the highest, most prestigious achievement in Girl Scouting.

These annual events are a time for girls, parents, troop leaders, advisors and more to hear first-hand the impact Girl Scouts make in their communities and beyond. The diversity of the projects was broad to include topics such as access to music lessons, human trafficking, service dogs, gardening, domestic violence, natural play-spaces and more. Girls shared with attendees the passion for their project and how it will be sustained past their involvement, as Take-Action projects continue to endure.

Since 1916, Girl Scouts’ highest award has stood for excellence and leadership for girls everywhere. The Girl Scout Gold Award is earned by fewer than 6% of Girl Scouts annually. It recognizes girls in grades 9 through 12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through sustainable and measurable Take Action projects. To earn this award, girls who choose to “go gold” must commit to and complete a project which creates a lasting change in their communities. On average, a Girl Scout spends one to two years on her project. Award recipients must demonstrate significant leadership, planning, and organizational skills that set them apart from their peers.

The 71 young women who completed this endeavor are poised now and in the future to demonstrate their leadership to colleges, employers and the communities where they live and work.

For more information about the Girl Scout Gold Award, please visit our website or contact girlawards@nccoastalpines.org.